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Marc – we established Shift Local in Oakland to Make Buying Local Hella Fun. We collaborated with hundreds of small business owners to organize cash mobs to encourage the community to invest their dollars in mom-and-pop shops.

iCrowdNewswire - Jul 26, 2016

Marc

Shift Local

Marc’s story

My family immigrated from the Philippines to SF Bay Area when I was 4yrs old. My mom was pre-school teacher at Lake Merritt Childcare Center in Oakland CA. My dad forged airplane parts at Wyman and Gordon. Thanks to their hard work to settle in the USA, I was fortunate to have all my education at culturally diverse school is in the Bay Area: Lum School in Alameda, Hesperian and SLz High in San Lorenzo, then undergrad at UC Berkeley.

It was difficult for me to find a job after majoring in Religious Studies at UC Berkeley. People would joke that I should be a preacher, so I was inspired to find a cause I was extremely passionate about. Today I am an advocate for the Buy Local Movement.

My then-fiance, now wife Mari agreed to start our blog Shift Local to share our new lifestyle devoted to raising awareness how important it is to patronize indie, locally-owned businesses aka mom-and-pop shops. The best way to preach is to lead by example.

What is my passion: Strengthen LOCAL COMMUNITY

Working Marketing and Membership at Sustainable Business Alliance / Oakland Grown

This loan is special because:

It helps a young entrepreneur support other locally-owned businesses in the Bay Area community.

Kiva staff

More about this loan

Business Description

In 2012 we established Shift Local in Oakland to Make Buying Local Hella Fun.

From 2012 – 2014, we collaborated with hundreds of small business owners to organize cash mobs to encourage the community to invest their dollars in mom-and-pop shops. We organized mobs in San Lorenzo, Alameda, Oakland and San Francisco.

In 2015 we launched Indie Coffee Passport East Bay that had 22 indie cafes from Pleasanton, Berkekley, Oakland and several other East Bay communities.

Indie Coffee Passport East Bay was so succesful, I am now launching Indie Coffee Passport Oakland in August 2016 with 12 indie cafes throughout various Oakland neighborhoods such as East Oakland, Old Oakland and West Oakland.

Shift Local’s goal moving forward is to increase our impact by collaborating with more indie, locally-owned businesses and organizations such as Sustainable Business Alliance, who runs Oakland Grown, the biggest Bay Area Buy Local Movement.

What is the purpose of this loan?

A KIVA loan allows me to expand my services by hiring a part-time employee that lives in Oakland. Here’s the breakdown on how I’ll use the KIVA loan: to hire a part-time employee $3,400 to hire a graphic designer $2000 to purchase and print 1000 coffee passports. $1600 to organize 3 events in Oakland to educate community $3000

With your help, Shift Local can pursue our dreams to make Buy Local hella fun by collaborating with more indie, locally-owned businesses in the Bay Area.